This article uses a short story by Jack London to discuss the classification of individuals with mental retardation and argues that mental retardation and its various definitions are manifestations of the typological thinking that inevitably creates a simplistic and misleading aggregation of people with very diverse needs and characteristics.…

This paper examines the dangers of modernism and societal collapse to people with mental retardation and other vulnerable groups, including the dangers brought about by fewer well-functioning families, the medical system, and the human service sector. It emphasizes the growing incidence of "deathmaking" of societally devalued people, and concludes…

Noting the Governor of Virginia's recent apology for his state's participation in eugenics, this article reviews the history of the sterilization of people with epilepsy and mental retardation in several states, and the importance of the Buck v. Bell (1927) Supreme Court decision in the promotion of eugenics. (Contains references.) (CR)

This commentary discusses the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the success the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has had in enforcing the ADA for people with mental retardation. Cases the EEOC has won against discriminatory employers are described, and the need for ongoing efforts is emphasized. (CR)

Analysis of a sample of 84 speech acts in everyday discourse referring to mental retardation identified four themes: (1) the discourse of category membership, (2) the dichotomy of normal and abnormal, (3) issues of place and space, and (4) fear. Results suggest how speech acts construct mental retardation and devalue individuals with the label.…

This narrative describes the case of Richard Lapointe, a man with Dandy-Walker syndrome (a congenital brain malformation resulting in a build-up of cerebrospinal fluid in the skull), who was accused of homicide. The questionable practices of the police in acquiring a confession are recounted. The narrative discusses the court appeals process and…

This essay argues that ideas circulated by Blatt and Dybwad, two scholars who exposed the plight of people labeled "retarded," can be illustrated in certain inclusive education practices and reinforced and refined in various critical narratives about mental retardation, particularly in autobiographical accounts of people with…

The attitudes of 144 high school students toward individuals with mental retardation were examined using the Mental Retardation Attitude Inventory-Revised. Results indicated that gender and frequency of contact both influenced attitudes. Females and students with more frequent contacts with individuals with mental retardation indicated more…

1988-1989 legislative and social goals of the American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR) are outlined. Priorities focus on Medicaid reform, constitutional and civil rights, capital punishment and the criminal justice system, and staff compensation rates. Twenty additional goals in such areas as family support and tax reform are also…